Shotguns
__NOWYSIWYG__ Shotguns Ins and Outs of Shotguns In Dead Frontier, Shotguns are the weaker, yet more efficient version of machine guns. Shotguns are generally designed for close quarters combat due to their spread shots, but they can also be useful at longer ranges due to the high chance to hit the enemy with at least a single pellet and the rather tight shot spread. Every well-aimed shotgun pellet adds up to the total damage per shot, but then again you could also do very little damage if too few pellets hit the target. It is noted that all shotguns have average accuracy. Shotgun damage is noted as (Damage per Pellet) x (Pellets per Shot) = Damage, so for example, the Washington 870 with 3.3 x 8 damage can do up to 26.4 damage per shot. Due to the small pellets of the buckshot, versus the larger bullets of other firearms, shotguns cannot score a critical hit. Accuracy affects shotguns uniquely as accuracy does not decrease the spread of their buckshot, but instead simply centers the placement of the shot. Shotguns are a subset of weapons that are often used in high-aggro combat due to their substantial knock-back and spread out pellet dispersion also being notable for their slow reload and sometimes slower firing speeds. Note that damage inflicted by some shotguns have to do with the gauge of the shell, not the weapon it is fired from. Types of Shotguns There are many different types of shotguns - ranging from break-action to pump-action to semi-automatic to lever-action etc . But in Dead Frontier, the shotguns are simply categorized by their Shots Per Second or SPS. The four types of shotguns are: *Single Shot: The weakest shotguns; such as the Highlander. The Mancini M1 is here also, despite being a semi-auto. Only one shot per second. These are a poor choice for crowd control, even in experienced hands. *Pump-action: Starting at Washington 870; a majority of the shotguns, including Corpse Blaster. Scores 1.5 shots per second. These are a good choice for crowd control in only experienced hands. *Semi-automatic: Includes, but is not limited to the Sega-20, Sweeper and Biforce C7. Scores two shot per second; makes for an average crowd control in semi-experienced hands. *Fully-automatic: Includes, but is not limited to USAN-12, AA-12 and Dusk Striker. These shotguns offer the best crowd control in their category. Only two of the shotguns that score 1.5 shots per second are extremely powerful. *Corpse Blaster deals 67.2 dmg per when all pellets strike a target *Painshot 10 deals 74.1 dmg per hit when all pellets strike a target Shotguns can also be classed by the ammunition used: *20 gauge *16 gauge *12 gauge *10 gauge The lower the number, the higher the damage of the shotgun. This is caused by the diameter of the shotgun's barrel - the lower the gauge number, the larger the barrel. Quoted from Wikipedia: Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound (e.g., a 1⁄12th pound ball fits a 12-gauge bore. Obviously - a larger barrel allows for larger pellets and more gunpowder to be fired at once, this is why larger barreled shotguns do more damage. Requirements Shotguns are one of the few weapons that have a high strength requirement. The first shotgun available, the Mancini M1, requires 10 shotgun proficiency points to use. The Police Officer class also starts out with a Mancini M1 Shotgun, along with 25 shells. From the third shotgun onwards, there is a strength requirement, usually close to the proficiency requirement. There is no need for high accuracy or reloading as it is useless - shotguns work well without high accuracy or reloading . Combat Outside - Loot/Scout Run Generating a significant amount of aggro with each blast, shotguns are a poor choice if you are trying to avoid large numbers of zombies. To maximize their effectiveness, you will want to utilize the following tips: *Wait until the zombie is at point-blank range. This ensures that every pellet will strike. * If you are trying to get somewhere and a zombie blocks your path, a point-blank blast can push him out of the way. * Be ammo conscious. With a slow reload time and often only a handful of rounds per magazine, learning to reload whenever you get a quiet moment is important. One trick is to hit "R" just before you transition to another screen, as this results in instantaneous reload once you reach the next block. Aggro Combat (Multiplayer) Shotguns are a class of weapon designed for high-aggro combat. Their knockback and ability to hit multiple targets at once and the fact that if they kill a zombie , the pellet pass through it to the next zombie . Some tips for effective use : * Aim for clusters of zombies to hit all of them equally. * Never stop moving. Keep on circling the zombies to prevent getting hit by them . * Again, when you get a chance, reload. Getting rushed by a sudden swarm when you're down to three rounds is not fun. * Also it is recommended to switch to a side weapon in tight situations where reloading could result in being wounded. * Try to hit multiple damaged zombies behind each other - if you kill the first zombie, then the next zombie will be hit by the pellets . * Spread shots against zombies hordes are very useful - once you manage to land a death blow the scattered shots fell multiple zombies, meaning the crowd could be killed quickly . Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages * Due to their spread shot, you can hit multiple enemies. * Shotguns require no critical hit due to them not having a crit chance, meaning stats are saved. * Most shotgun ammo is cheap; 20 gauge and 16 gauge are the cheapest, 10 and 12 gauge are the most expensive. *If a zombie is killed , the pellets will pass through the zombie and hit the zombie behind it , making shotguns extremely useful in crowd-control situations (that is if you do the extra damage). Disadvantages * They have the second smallest ammo box (400 per box). * If an enemy is too far away, shotguns will do very little damage. * Shotguns to not fair well in PvP unless in experienced hands. * Shotguns can cause heavy aggro, even more than heavy machine guns and miniguns. Note : Accuracy affects shotguns uniquely as it does not decrease the spread of the pellets, but instead simply centers the placement of the shot. List of Shotguns The Scrap values in brackets indicate the scrap price with Master Crafted (MC) items. Category:Weapons